Capital Gets Fair Share of RWC 2011 Matches

Wellington Mayor Kerry Prendergast says she is delighted with the number and selection of matches allocated to the Capital during Rugby World Cup 2011.

"Seven matches - including two quarter-finals - is a great result for Wellington and the Stadium.

"I'm sure local rugby fans, along with the region's hoteliers and the hospitality industry in general, will be happy and relieved that we've got a genuine fair share of the Rugby World Cup action."

Along with the All Blacks, Wellington will host pool matches featuring the Springboks, Wales, Fiji, Australia, Tonga and qualifiers from the Americas.

Mayor Prendergast says the tournament will kick off strongly in the Capital with the Springboks versus Wales, while the weekend before the quarter-finals will also be a blockbuster - with France-Tonga on the Saturday and the All Blacks versus an Americas qualifier on the Sunday.

"This double-header will kick off a festival week in the Capital leading up to the quarters. We'll be pulling out all the stops to make sure the fans have a memorable stay in the Capital."

All matches in Wellington will also be over the weekends - "which has to be good for crowd numbers - and to give the fans time to recover", says Mayor Prendergast.

She congratulated Martin Snedden and the RWC organisers for ensuring that the tournament is spread "far and wide" around the country. "The fact the South Island is shaping up as a stronghold for English and Scottish fans, especially, is also good for Wellington.

"From our experience of the Lions Tour in 2005, we know that many, many of these fans will be coming through the Capital - so we'll be prepared."